


A Kind Beginning

by larkscope



Category: North and South - Ambiguous Fandom, North and South - Elizabeth Gaskell
Genre: F/M, The Great Exhibition of 1851, altered first meetings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 03:02:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11454624
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/larkscope/pseuds/larkscope
Summary: Elizabeth Gaskell's "North and South" took place after the Great Exhibition of 1851, unlike in the BBC miniseries. This one-shot begins four years before the start of the book, when Margaret Hale and John Thornton have a kinder beginning thanks to a chance meeting at the Great Exhibition.





	A Kind Beginning

Crying. That was a sound with which John Thornton was well acquainted. For all he loved Milton, it was a harsh place to live. After his family had come down in the world, they had moved to rooms with the thinnest walls the owner was allowed to build whilst still calling them walls and not curtains. Being situated in a poor neighborhood, he had quickly grown accustomed to the cries of hungry children when a strike had all but torn the town apart. And then there was Fanny. He loved his sister, but her delicate sensibilities often lead her to crying at the slightest provocation, most especially when she did not get her way. 

The crying he heard now sounded like the muffled sobs of a child in acute distress. It was contra to his purpose. He had come to the Great Exhibition with the hope of securing financers and new orders for his mill, which he had run for precious few years, but for which he had great plans. He was not having luck. John supposed he were too gruff and unrefined for these London dandies. And whilst he was no stranger to noise and masses of people, the noise and mass here was radically different from what he was used to. Needing a respite, he thought to hide behind a tree, only to be assaulted by the sounds of weeping. 

His first impulse was to be annoyed at being denied his solitude when so weary. Then, he saw who was crying; it was a young lady, not yet old enough to be out of the school room. While she looked nothing like Fanny, she reminded him of his sister, so he gently moved closer and asked, “Are you well, miss?”

The girl startled at being addressed and drew herself up regally. That too reminded him of home, of his sister not wanting to be caught doing something wrong and of his mother’s proud bearing. “Excuse me, sir,” she said with no little affront, and then made to move away. 

He held out a hand, “Please, I did not mean to startle you; only you reminded me of my sister, and if she were stranded in public, I would hope someone would be a good samaritan and help her.”

That seemed to gentle her, as she hesitated before confirming his belief that yes, she was lost. When he offered her his arm to help her find her family though, she balked. “But I do not know you! Whatever would it look like if I were to walk with you so familiarly?”

John replied by sticking out his hand and introducing himself. 

The girl replied by looking scandalized. “A lady never takes a gentleman’s hand. Or introduces herself to a stranger!”

John could only laugh at such a childish reply. He explained that where he was from, in Darkshire, ladies did indeed shake gentlemen’s hands, but if it upset her delicate sensibilities, he would not do so. That earned him an affronted expression and a challenging look in her eyes accompanied by an extended hand, which John delicately shook. 

In the end, John Thornton escorted a fourteen year old Margaret Hale back to the exhibition hall, although she did not walk on his arm. Together, they looked for her family, which they finally found when they heard the frantic wails of a matron edging into hysteria. Whilst Miss Hale reminded John of his sister in a fond way, her aunt reminded him of Fanny when she was being more than usually difficult, so he left the family as quickly as was polite. Still, he was not one to project his feelings for all to see; they parted company amicably. Heading back towards the section of the exhibition devoted to industry, John’s mind quickly returned to matters of business. 

—

Margaret Hale silently gasped. She had not thought to ever again see her savior, for although four years had passed, she still thought of him as such. Mr. Thornton had so kindly helped her find her family when she had become lost at the Great Exhibition. While there were kind people in London, so few would help a stranger, especially one they had no expectations of ever seeing again. With a smile, she delightedly said, “Mr. Thronton, how good to see you again.”

He seemed struck dumb. What had happened to the man with whom she had so easily talked for a half hour just a few years ago? She supposed four years was a great deal of time after all. Finally, after the silence stretched into awkwardness, she received a reply, “Excuse me, madam, but I do not believe we are acquainted.”

What little light was left in Margaret’s eyes dimmed. “I am sorry to have presumed, sir. I mistook you for a kind gentlemen whom I met at the Great Exhibition.” 

—

On his way back to the mill, John was stuck with the realization that indeed he had seen Miss Hale before; she was the young girl he had helped find her family at the Great Exhibition. Oh, how he must have seemed a clotpole! To have forgotten such a beautiful woman- what was he about? His head had been too long in the mill books. He hoped he could be forgiven; Miss Hale had, after all, been naught but a school girl at the time. As evidenced by his dumbstruck visage upon meeting her anew, she had changed much, having grown into a stunning young lady. Well, he would just have to beg her forgiveness when next they met.

**Author's Note:**

> While I have ideas for continuing this, it will remain a one-shot for now as none of it has been written or even outlined. So feel free to imagine the book progressing as per canon or our couple reaching an earlier understanding. John and Margaret, each being socially inept in the ways of the other's society, could easily go either way after this small change to canon, especially with Margaret being as proud as she is in the books.


End file.
